#emblem books

Christeliicken waerseggher, illustrated by Cornelis Galle and printed by Jan Moretus, is a 1603 Dutch translation of the well-known emblem book, Veridicus Christianus by the Jesuit Father Jan David. An emblem is essentially a picture used to portray an idea or teach a lesson, in this case religious or moral, and is usually accompanied by a motto and verse (here the motto is in Latin on top of the image and verse in Latin, Dutch, and French on bottom). One image shows different interpretations of the crucifixion portrayed by artists (including one heretical portrait being painted of a demon on the bottom left). The last image is of a man’s head seen as a house warning the viewer of the risks of opening one’s senses to temptation (”greedy prying eyes”). In the background is Eve with an apple (letter A), David watching Bathsheba in the bath (letter B), and Lot’s wife just before turning into a pillar of salt with Sodom in the background (letter F).

Newberry call number: Wing ZP 6465 .P675